Gordon Lab Members
Adam G. Gordon Ph.D.
Adam received his B.S. in Psychology from University of California, Davis and his Ph.D. in Neuroscience from The University of Texas at Austin in Micky Marinelli's lab, where he studied how the lateral preoptic area regulates the mesolimbic dopamine system to drive reinforcement. During his postdoctoral work in Garret Stuber's lab at the University of Washington, he developed OHRBETS, an open-source behavioral platform, and showed how lateral hypothalamic neurons shape striatal dopamine dynamics during consummatory behavior.
In September 2026, Adam joined the Department of Psychology in the Behavioral Systems Neuroscience division at Rutgers University–New Brunswick as an Assistant Professor. His lab studies the neural circuits of motivated behavior, with a focus on substance use disorder and feeding, with the goal of improving treatments for these disorders.
Principal Investigator
Aziza Kulsum
Aziza is a first-year student in RU School of Arts and Sciences studying cognitive science, with interests in neuroscience, psychology, and research. She graduated class of 2026 at John P Stevens high school. After college, she hopes to pursue research to understand how the brain influences behavior and how neuroscience and emerging technologies can address real-world problems and improve people’s lives! Outside of academics, she enjoys spending time with friends, exploring new places, and staying active in nature.
Undergraduate Research AssistantThis could be you…
We are looking for driven, curious researchers who want to understand how the brain mediates reinforcement and motivation.
Reach out at adam.g.gordon@rutgers.edu.
Hiring at all levels